The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared on May 12, 2025, that it would disband and lay down its arms, potentially ending a four-decade insurgency against Turkey.
The announcement, reported by the Firat News Agency, follows a February call from jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to pursue peace through democratic means.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the move, calling it a step toward “peace and fraternity.” The decision could reshape Turkish-Kurdish relations and boost development in Turkey’s southeast, though the government will closely monitor the process.
Also Read | Gaza Journalist Hassan Eslaih Killed in Israeli Airstrike
“With terror and violence being completely disengaged, the doors of a new era in every area, namely strengthening politics and democratic capacity, will be opened,” he said. “The winners will be our people and country, and actually all our siblings in our region,” he added.
The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, aimed at creating an independent, separate state for Kurdish people. This conflict has killed many people as reports indicate nearly 40,0000 people have been killed so far.